“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The circulatory system, again, is activated. This is noticeable particularly in the feet, and all of the ligaments are beginning to release. This is an overall activation because of the overall intent, and therefore more in balance than the beginning of improvements in the past. The body instantly responds to a new image by activating its entire mechanism. Ruburt does not yet know what his response to the world will be—whether he wants, for example, television shows and so forth, or not—but he is now determined to respond, to be responsive, and not to simply retreat.

As he is using it, the word “responsive” will give him freedom to respond as he wishes to the world in general, so that the two of you can make decisions. There is an overall picture you cannot see, in which you form your lives together, so that at one time you act, for example, as a unit, and on other occasions or times one acts out certain of your joint beliefs, while the other acts out another one.

The freedom that the house and the money represent is extremely important to both of you. Ruburt did not put himself in poor physical condition to get those things. His physical symptoms were the result of methods or habits of dealing with himself and the world, and of attitudes that both of you shared for the greater part of your lives.

He applied those methods of his own, but they differed from yours only in degree. You would not go so far. To a large extent, however, you agreed on retreat rather than response. To some extent now, you applied discipline in your work and lives to protect yourself against response to a world that you felt was insane, in direct conflict with artistic pursuits, and in which you felt quite alien —both of you, that is, as a unit.

You wondered in the secret depths of your mind how well-suited Ruburt was for the solitude you believed necessary to produce good work. You intend, both of you, having the cat fixed, so he will not be frustrated inside. Ruburt fixed himself, and fixed it so he could not go outside—because, according to your joint overall attitudes, you believed you must isolate yourselves against the world.

(Seth’s material earlier this evening, about responsiveness to the world, in whatever form one chose, reminded me of an idea I’d mentioned to Jane last week. I’d dropped it because I became unsure of the reactions on both of our parts. The idea involved our concentration for just five minutes a day—say when we lay down for our naps—on sending out suggestions to the effect that we’d hear from people we wanted to hear from, either/or by letter or in person. Obviously the people would be well-enough known for us to have heard of them. But I’d been thinking that it might be a way to break our habits of retreat. I became concerned, though, about whether our beliefs had changed enough to make such contacts possible, or welcome to us if they did materialize.

As Ruburt’s body becomes more responsive, it means also that he is becoming more responsive not just physically but in all areas. He thinks he feels uncomfortable with other people on such occasions because he is physically uncomfortable, sitting for long periods, or because he feels in an inferior physical condition. Instead, of course, he felt in such a position before the symptoms showed—as each of you felt, and were convinced in black-and-white fashion, that creative people were misunderstood, held in inferior position in the world, and were generally considered oddballs.

(11:18.) Give us a moment.... Rest your hand.... You have made no attempt to form bridges out to others. You did not believe it worthwhile. To the contrary, you stressed your differences always. Again, the return to the natural world reinforces feelings of creature brotherhood, and serves to connect you with your kind, even while you admit the vast differences in beliefs, customs, religions and so forth.

I am more concerned that the ideas of responsiveness be followed now, and that you apply your feelings of creativity to the situation. When Ruburt does not feel ashamed to meet guests, it will seem to him that this is because he is so physically improved. Actually the improvements follow and are the physical materialization of his responsiveness to himself, and to the natural world.

(After the session I told Jane that my concern wasn’t so much with meeting important people, as that their interest in what we do would imply some sort of acceptance or understanding on the parts of those who occupy dominant positions in society, the arts, or whatever. And I think we are well aware that many of the young people we do hear from will occupy those positions of power in tomorrow’s world. I see nothing amiss with us having some fun on our own in the meantime, though—provided we’re both willing, and understand the terms of the “games.”)